Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computer networking and wireless network Access Points (APs). More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an efficient mechanism for deployment and configuration of APs.
Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) to multiple users. As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data services rapidly grows, there lies a challenge to implement efficient and robust communication systems with enhanced performance.
Wireless computing technologies provide untethered access to the Internet and other networks. One of the most critical technologies for wireless networking (or Wi-Fi) is the IEEE 802.11 family of protocols promulgated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Currently, the protocols are widely adopted in wireless devices, including laptop computers, tablet computers, smartphones and network appliances and the like. Typically, APs provide a port for wireless devices to access a network. At a business, several APs can be spread throughout a location (e.g., an enterprise campus) so that employees have Internet access as they travel around to different meeting rooms and even different buildings of a campus. APs are typically managed by one or more network controllers that configure the functioning/routing/processing of transmitted/received packets and allied network access control parameters of the APs.
When a customer/user first unpacks an AP received from the manufacturer or reseller, the AP is not aware of the network controller that should manage it within the network environment in which the AP will become a part. As such, the AP must typically be explicitly configured, through say a command line interface (CLI), to specify an appropriate/desired network controller and enable communication between the AP and the network controller. This configuration process takes time and generally requires a network administrator or someone with technical knowledge.
There is therefore a need for a system and method that enables efficient deployment and configuration of APs.